Prague – four years ago, Ana Ivanović was sunbathing on top of the Racquet. It was a world leader, celebrated her triumph at the French Open. But then came the injuries, loss of self-esteem and fall. She is now 12. stop bar and waits for her Fed Cup finals. Srbkám is right on the first attempt succeeded in world group to get to the finals. At the peak of the season, Ivanović, in Prague, she likes him. Said team spirit and the ability to fight for the title for his country considers it an honor.

"I really like it. My brother and father played basketball and I went to look at them. I liked the team spirit. I was missing a little bit in tennis, because it is a very individualistic. But this week is different, "said the Serb, who nadělit in Prague may gain title to their present Tuesday's 25. birthday card. "There's a lot more pressure, but it's also much more fun. It's a great honor for us to be here and have a chance to play for the title, "she said.

According to Ivanovičové, it will be a big tennis weekend. Of course considered mild Sultana, even because of the surface. He plays on the background Ultracushion Novacrylic System. Of course I know him. This year, it won the semifinals with Italkami in Ostrava, but now wanted it a bit slower and with higher bounce. Therefore, when mixing the mixture add more sand.

"On this surface I like. It is not as fast as I thought. The ball is sliding a little bit when it is low and fast. Much will depend, as it grows, who. Home-they have odtrénováno about something more, but we have a few more days to prepare. It will be good, "said Ivanović.

Ana Ivanović wants to be the best:

"I'm trying to get back. Sometimes it's better, sometimes worse, but I'm on the right track. Tennis talk begins with me again, and I want to go back to the top. "

Both the domestic tennis players are left, but it's not particularly Ivanovičovou no ghosts. "Against the levorukým tenistkám so often, playing the songs. The experience is not so much with them, but here we have levorukou sparingpartnerku, so we can kind of get used to the levácké concept of the game. "

Of course they will be dangerous, and it doesn't matter who will

Serbian tennis player has a worse record, Šafářovou, beat her twice, losing three times, most recently this year in Sydney. "With the two others in the past, I played hard games. With Luckou I played in Sydney this year and it was a really tough game. Will be dangerous, no matter who will follow, "she said.

Kvitové against her in the past, did better, three left the Court as a winner, just once as a loser. He wishes to make, and of course played Kvitová in the strongest report. "I hope that for the finals will be fine, because you want to beat the best to win," said Ivanović. Historical statistics. "Now it's a little different. It's been a long time since we played together. Now we're both in a different form. I think it will be a tough game. Peter also has a tough administration and hard beats and on the Court, as it is here, it's a benefit for her, "she added.

Kvitové will tell a lot about the possibilities of today's be put to the test. If the weekend goes, it's not clear in what form at the O2 Arena shows. "I've spoken personally with her, with her coach and Professor Paul Kolářem. Peter has a great desire to play, but the status is not optimal, "said sports Manager Miroslav black women. "At last year's high-quality performance of Petra in the end of the year it's victory (in the finals against Russia) had had enough. This year's finals, according to the draw looked quite hopeful, but the health problems that accompany me Peter light, "added concern about black women.

Next weekend, you and your teammates are playing Serbia’s first Fed cup final. The Czech Republic is the defending champion. Are you afraid, or you can’t wait for the match to begin? What are our strengths and weaknesses? What about the Czechs?
I can’t wait. I definitely don’t have any fear. It’s normal to be nervous before such a big occasion as this, and I’m sure I will be on the morning of my first match on Saturday, but that’s a good thing – it’s positive nerves, and shows how much I care.

I think it’s a great achievement by the team, to reach the final, and I am very excited to take part and hopefully help Serbia to victory. I want to enjoy the occasion, and fight for the trophy for Serbia.

Our strength is our experience. Jelena and I played big matches on big stages many times in our careers. Also, we have both had good results at indoor tournaments on similar surfaces.

The Czech team doesn’t really have any weaknesses, they’re the defending champions and they play at home. So it’s an extremely tough tie.

Winning the Fed cup would be the equivalent of winning the World cup in football. As one of my friends said: “If we were to play World cup final in football, everything in Serbia would stop for at least a week”. Yet, there is not too much media hype about Fed cup final. Why is that? The popularity of tennis is certainly not the issue – you, Novak and Jelena made tennis the new national sport of Serbia. Is it true, however, that women’s tennis still cannot compete with the popularity of men’s?
That’s a fair comment, and it perhaps shows that although tennis has become extremely popular in Serbia, we’re still not at the same level as football. But we are doing well: we broke the Fed Cup attendance world record at our very first match! And I notice that the newspapers sometimes put us on the front page – that doesn’t happen in many countries. I know that the International Tennis Federation is very impressed by Serbia’s organization of Fed Cup ties, and the support that our fans give us.

At the same time, it’s probably true that we don’t receive the same media attention as the men, and I think that’s a question that you should probably ask journalists, because they choose how much reporting they do…

It’s been more than four years since you gave women’s tennis in Serbia its greatest achievement – a Roland Garros victory. You were only 21, and you had a Grand Slam trophy in your hands. It seemed that the world is yours. And yet, your game and results went into a steep decline almost immediately, and it lasted for years. This year, however, definitely sees you in an upward trajectory once more. So, you can maybe see more clearly now: what happened after that Roland Garros? What was the greatest problem during the previous four years? And how did you solve it, to become dangerous again?
It was a combination of factors. Maybe the whole success came too soon and I was not quite ready for it. Also I had many small injuries and they really affected my confidence. And then it just seemed like I went from one disappointment to another. Looking back, maybe I should have taken a short break and started again. I tried so many different methods to find my old form. I over-trained, and I put so much pressure on myself, which caused stress.

Now I have been able to rise in the rankings again by enjoying myself more and being a bit more relaxed about my play. I have always been a very excitable person, and impatient, and I was getting too far ahead of myself. I have learnt to enjoy the process, and take steps back to the top. For example, reaching my first Grand Slam quarter-final in four years at the US Open was a big breakthrough, and an important step for next year, when I hope to build on that and go even further at major tournaments.
You are still only 24, with enough time for a major comeback. Do you hope for another Grand Slam trophy? And which one would you like best this time?
For sure. I have been playing tennis for such a long time, but I am still young, as you said. I still have the goal of winning all the Grand Slams. Wimbledon would be extremely special, but I would probably choose the Australian Open if I could, because of my love of Australia, and the family I have in Melbourne. It’s always a very special tournament to play.

Before you, before Novak and Jelena, Serbia didn’t seem to be a tennis country at all. Then, all of a sudden, the three of you burst onto scene, almost simultaneously, and leave the tennis world amazed. Was that an ‘accident’ with no logical explanation, or are there some reasons behind it? Serbia certainly cannot claim that it helped the three of you too much…
It’s amazing to think that we all reached the top at around the same time, after so many years without highly-ranked Serbian players. It is difficult to give a good explanation for it, but I can say that we have some similarities that helped us all: we are all extremely determined people. We’re strong-willed and focused, and we would not allow anything to stop us from reaching our goals. I can’t talk too much for Jelena and Novak, but I think it’s true that, like me, they are very close to their family, and enjoyed their support. That’s something that we perhaps have as an advantage in Serbia: we are very close to our families and have a big network of support.

Whether it was an accident, or not, generations of excellent players, such as yours, don’t come up often. But what can we do to improve the chances of getting a new Ana Ivanovic?
The explosion of interest in tennis in Serbia will definitely help. I see so many kids carrying rackets around Belgrade, even when I am the city centre. The more children we have playing, the more chance we have of finding future champions, because it means that there will be greater competition, which brings greater quality: your rivals push you to become better.

We do have better training facilities than when I was a kid, but it would be great if we could have more courts and maybe even a national training centre for the very best kids.

Every tennis player’s way to the top was a torturous one, but few can say that they got to the top by the way of an abandoned swimming pool, where you had to train. Looking back, did it help you? Made you tougher? For example, during that Roland Garros final against Dinara Safina, did you think about all those trainings in the swimming pool?
I didn’t think about it during the match, but when I won and our anthem played, I had tears in my eyes and I thought about all the hard work I had put in, the many hours of practice as a kid, and how I’d dreamed about it, and shared those dreams with my family all those years ago.

I am asked about the swimming pool at the April 11 Center a lot, and to be honest, at the time I knew no different. Now, it seems crazy that I practiced in an empty swimming pool when in other countries they have so many spare courts, but when I was a kid that’s all I knew, and I simply loved it. Playing on those courts was a privilege to me. It was a lot of fun, and I have the same love for tennis as I did back then.

It was only some years later, when I started travelling to tournaments around the world that I realized how hard it was for us, compared to other nations, but we never complained: we just got on with it, enjoyed our tennis and gave it our best.

When you were 15, you once spent four hours crying after a defeat. How do you cope with defeats today? What about victories? Do you have to forget them as soon as the match is over, and concentrate on your next opponent, or you give them some afterthought?
I still sometimes cry, but not for four hours! It’s because I put so much emotion into it, so it can be quite affecting after a tough defeat. But over the years I’ve discovered that you can usually learn more from defeats than victories, and you should try to take something positive from every match, whether you win or lose. Maybe it is something tactical, like you learnt that you are more successful at the net against players with certain styles; or maybe it’s something concerning preparation, for example the time that you choose to warm-up.

Most tournaments on the tour are just one week long and towards the end of a tournament you are playing every day, so there isn’t much time to reflect on past matches. Of course, in the immediate few hours after a match it is still on your mind and you talk about it, and maybe in practice the next morning I will talk to it some more with my coach, as well as looking forward to my next match.

And I can say that some defeats, and victories too, stay with you longer than others. It’s always nice to be reminded of some of my best matches, and to think back and remember some exciting times. It gives me extra motivation to train hard and ensure that I have similar experiences in the future.

As every other popular sport, tennis is now a serious business. Of course, managers take care of that side of tennis, but do you sometimes feel that money puts pressure on you? Even we, the journalists, while writing about some tennis tournament, usually mention money in the first sentence (such as: "Madrid WTA tournament starts tomorrow, and the prize money is 4 million euros..."). Prize money, sponsorships... Do you and your fellow players sometimes feel that money distracts you from thinking about the actual game?
There’s no question that as a professional tennis player I am very lucky to be able to be paid well to do something that I love. It is my love of tennis that has allowed me to get to the top: I never thought about money. I was lucky to receive some financial assistance when I was younger, and by the time I was 17 I was self-sufficient from a financial perspective. As players, we do sometimes think about ranking points, but I almost never think about prize money. After the Tournament, the next day someone will tell me how much I won and it’s a nice surprise, but it’s the last thing I’m thinking about. Of course, one of the reasons for this is because I am fortunate to have strong sponsors, and I’ve already earned quite a lot in prize money. For the lower-ranked players it is not so easy.
Your work as an UNICEF goodwill ambassador is well known. What will you do next in that role?
It's a great honour for me to work with UNICEF. I always love to spend time with kids, and we often organize events in Belgrade when I am there. We are planning another event before the end of the year, to raise awareness about the School Without Violence programme. This initiative has been very successful, thanks largely to the help of businesses and private donors: it's clear that we are able to reduce the amount of bullying and aggression in schools, by getting more schools into the programme. We still have a long way to go, but we are making good progress.

Ivanovic aims to strike Czech blow
Ana Ivanovic will look to strike an early blow for Serbia when the Fed Cup Final starts in Prague.
Ivanovic is first on court for her country against holders the Czech Republic, meeting Lucie Safarova in the opening singles match.
The world number 12 carries fond memories of the Serbian men's team's victory in the Davis Cup two years ago, with the image of Novak Djokovic tearing his shirt off in celebration still fresh in the mind.
The 24-year-old will take that on court with her tomorrow [Saturday], hoping for a similar outcome on Sunday night.
"I remember a couple of years ago I was there when the men were winning and it was epic," she told the Fed Cup website.
"We will try our best and to match what the guys did would be amazing."
After the opening game, Jelena Jankovic will take on home favourite and world number eight Petra Kvitova.
"For me, personally, the inspiration is the Serbian people," said Jankovic. "I always feel an obligation to give more than 100 per cent."
Czech captain Petr Pala has opted for the experienced doubles duo of Lucie Hradecka and Andrea Hlavackova to team up in the fifth and final game on Sunday, with every chance the outcome could decide who lifts the trophy.
It remains to be seen, though, if opposite number Dejan Vranes will stick with his pair of Bojana Jovanovski and Aleksandra Krunic, especially if a first-ever title is on the line.
Pala fully expects that the overall outcome could go down to the last game, stressing how tight he believes the affair will be.
"We can expect every match to be a close one and decided by only a few points," he said.
"I hope the crowd and surface will help us get three points, but Serbia have two former world number-one players.
"They can play big matches and they are used to playing big matches. I think in this tie, anyone can beat anyone."

Selector female tennis players of Serbia Dejan Vranes said that his team's desire fulfilled as decided by lot that the first duel Fed Cup finals against the Czech performances Ana Ivanovic.

"We expected this kind of composition czech, not surprised. Schedule is not overly important, but it is filled with a desire to Ana Ivanovic plays first, and both days. We are ready, preparations are well used and we will see what will happen. We will do our best, because our ultimate goal is victory, "Vranes said after drawing lots in Prague.

Vranes said he was pretty sure that Petra Kvitova who has bronchitis, however, occur on Saturday.

"Kvitova is ready and will definitely appear on the site. What will be felt during the match I do not know, but I'm pretty sure he will play on Saturday, "said Vranes.

Ana Ivanovic to be the first match meet Lucja Safarovom, said he does not expect an easy match, but that he hoped the best.

"I am happy and looking forward to Saturday's duel. I hope to play at the level and extent is enough to make a point. I am satisfied by lot, hope for the best. It certainly will not be an easy match, we had a tough duel in Sydney this year, so I hope rematch, "said Ana Ivanovic.

In the second duel tomorrow Jelena Jankovic playing against the eighth number one Petra Kvitova.

"To be honest, I do not care whether I'm going to play first or second. I expected a difficult match against Kvitova if he played. For me to give my best and make a point. All are here to fight to the end and win the title. I love to play for my country, I'm already 12 years old. This is a special moment for all of us, "said Jankovic.

Fed Cup finals will begin on Saturday at 13:30 at the O2 Arena in Prague.

Anna: Now I believe in myself
SOURCE. B92 | ​​SO
Serbian tennis player Ana Ivanovic said after the victory over Peter Kvitovom (6:3, 7:5) that was not as nervous in the match with Safarov.

"I started the match well, I was a lot calmer and I played well, as I did recently. I felt that I was in a rhythm, I was relieved hit the ball and it paid off. "Said Ana.

From correspondents in Prague Sasha B92 Ozma.

"I think the first set was good quality tennis in the second I felt the intensity of her game dropped. And I did not play that well, then Kvitova raised the level of play in the finish of the second set, " Ivanovic added. "I had more faith in themselves than with Safarov in the match, I think that to be a big difference. I had a good tactic, well I read her service and it helped me, " Ivanovic said and revealed part of the preparation for the match: "We did not sleep very much last night, we talked and encouraged each other. We believe we have a chance, Bob Zivojinovic advised me that I cut corners with little riternu and I was trying to do. " Anna's victory Serbia cut to 2-1 in the final of the Fed Cup.

Petra Kvitova said after the defeat that it lacked power, but said he and Anna's a great game. "I won the last point, but I still think we have a chance for the title. I wanted to win, but Ana has played very well. Also, I lacked energy and I could not venture into longer exchanges. I did not make enough Viner, and it has served a great forehand. " Kvitova said she was not ready up, but was able to play and not complain about what she did. "In the first set I was too chaotic and emotional, and the second set I was relaxed when I came back from the toilet. I was able to play at 5-5 in the second set, I believed in myself, it was near the break, but she played a fantastic game and on match point he made ​​a brilliant Viner, " added the eighth player planet, which is the first lost in singles in Fed Cup after 11 consecutive victories.

The following is a transcript of the question-and-answer session with Editor-In-Chief Charles Barachon:

What art piece would you like to own and why?
It would have to be Van Gogh’s Cafe Terrace On The Place Du Forum. In a way it reminds me of socializing: spending relaxing nights with friends

In which part of your house would you display it?
I would have to display it in the most-seen place: on a big wall by the entrance.

Did you ever visit Art Basel?
Unfortunately I haven’t had the chance, because I am always playing a tournament during the time it is held. I am planning to visit New York soon for a vacation, and I will go to the Metropolitan and Guggenheim museums.

What is your strongest experience with an art piece or an exhibition?
I really like Peter Lik’s photos. I especially like Tranquillity and I may buy a print for my bedroom. Another of my favourites is Santorini Terrace. I’ve been to his exhibition at the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas.